splices
by ketsole
Summary: After the breakup, he sees her in splices. Post-TWC


**i would die for bade k thx**

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1.

After the breakup, he sees her in splices.

He'll be lying awake in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, and in a flash of moonlight, he sees the silver rings and necklaces and chains she'd clip on her jeans sometimes.

He'll be eating lunch with Tori and he'll get blinded by the sun reflecting off a pair of black chunky boots, thick laces untied.

He'll be standing in the halls and he'll glimpse a bare shoulder from where he stands with Andre, black ribbons of a tank top tied into messy bows.

He'll be sitting in Sikowtiz's room, watching her perform on the stage, and he'll catch the way her skirt swings when she moves her hips, a slit showing pale skin even through ripped black mesh.

He'll be turning on the ignition in his car and he'll see her with Cat, their shoulders pressed together as they whisper to each other, and that's when she sweeps her hair over her shoulder.

Every single time he sees her, he feels nothing, not quiet disappointment or sullen anger or distilled sadness, all the feelings he's been told come along with heartbreak.

He's never considered the idea that he just doesn't know how to process his emotions.

2.

After the breakup, she shows up even when she's not really there.

On a bleary Tuesday night, he's trying to finish a history assignment when shaky hands make him spill coffee all over himself. He's tired, and he's stressed, and he doesn't want to keep working in a soggy shirt so he rifles through his drawer and looks for something else and-

What stares back at him is a black graphic tee, something so quintessentially Jade that he wonders how he missed it before. They've been apart for one month, and he goes through this drawer every day, and how has he not seen this piece of her just _lying_ there-

Beck takes a quick glance at the RV and sees that this whole time she's been everywhere. He doesn't even bother changing his shirt and instead starts sorting through everything he owns. It's almost unsurprising how he finds a little bit of everything hers. There's a bottle of nail polish, a pen she really liked, a pair of mesh tights, a math notebook, eyeliner, a belt, bracelets, earbuds-

He walks out of the RV (Beck doesn't slam the door, because loud things never really belonged to him did they-) climbs into his car, and decides he can finish his work tomorrow during 1st period.

3.

After the breakup, he finds out he's not her only friend.

It's like they unanimously decide that their friends don't deserve to be thrown in the middle of their mess, and so begins a weird routine of avoidance and attempts at small talk. Mostly him, or mostly Tori trying to get them back on speaking terms, he can't quite decide. When he has time to mull it over, he considers going back to being friends with Jade, then quickly realizes they've never been _just_ friends. It's always been Beck&Jade, never Beck & Jade, and he's not too sure either of them would know where to start.

Unanimously, their friend group splits into two. Like divorced parents, Beck gets Tori and Andre and Jade is left with Cat and Robbie. No one says anything, but in the halls, everyone knows who to float over to. Beck is more than happy with Tori and Andre. There's Andre who's his best friend and then there's Tori, who is sweet and kind and never cruel.

If Beck has to give himself more reasons to be ok with them, there's always her eternally tan legs and perfect cheekbones, and those seem to be distraction enough.

Jade on the other hand… He's not exactly sure what Cat and Robbie mean to her.

It's not until two months after the breakup that he begins to figure out the three of them are something approaching _close_.

On a sunny Monday morning, a haggard-looking Robbie plops down next to Andre and Beck in Sikowitz's room, eyes bloodshot and sans puppet.

"Hey man, you look like hot chizz," Andre laughs, not unkindly. Robbie gives out a quiet "hah" followed by a raise of his eyebrows as if that's an indication of anything.

"Rough weekend?" Beck asks. It's meant to be ironic because it's Robbie Shapiro and awkward, bumbling Robbie Shapiro has never equated to rough weekends.

"You could say so," Robbie mumbles as he rubs his eyes.

Before Andre and Beck can pry any more information out of him, the bell rings and students file into class. Cat slumps in looking tired, peppy enough to be normal, but not peppy enough for Cat Valentine. Jade strides in looking like an angrier, messier version of herself.

(if they were still dating, Beck might have entertained the idea that she looks like a rough sketch of a _goddess_, but they aren't dating anymore, and the thought fizzles out fast)

Regardless, the trio's appearances aren't the weirdest thing Beck notices.

It's the subdued version of a giddy smile, one that's clearly plastered on all their faces.

At lunch even though everyone's already at the table, what he sees makes him think he's suddenly stepped into some alternate universe.

Jade is laughing.

Not her trademark Jade West smirk, with a little "hah" on the side, but the one where her eyes look like bottles filled with a warm Caribbean sea, the one where she throws her head back and her straight white teeth are visible, the one where she has to press a thumb to her eyes to keep her eyeliner from smearing.

For a very visceral second, his stomach burns. It _aches_ to know that two months ago it'd only been him who could make her laugh like that. It's selfish because it's not like he doesn't want her to be happy, he just-

The feeling evaporates as quickly as it came, and Beck walks over to the table, smushing himself in between Tori and Andre.

"-so my toenails are pink now-"

"Honestly, I'm surprised one of us didn't die-"

"Shapiro can hold his fucking liquor, which what the fuck-"

Through odd looks and snatches of conversation, Beck pieces together what Cat finally confirms during their 5th-period technical design class.

"Yeah, her parents were out of town so Jade invited us over," Cat says happily, her smile candy-sweet and innocent and practically naive.

"And you-" Beck is almost confused.

"There was a _lot_ of alcohol. I don't even know where she got it all." Cat giggles, as if she didn't just admit to Beck that she Jade and Robbie all got hammered over the weekend. Together. Alone. Alone together.

Jade, Cat, Robbie. Drinking. Probably doing crazy shit you can only do when intoxicated.

His mind blanks and then he's back in his RV and memories start coming flashes; limbs like a jigsaw puzzle, a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniel's tilted and dripping, dizzying air and heads full of cotton, lazy kisses and drunken giggles, quiet made-up songs, everything gorgeously _hazey-_

Beck thinks he might throw up, but he comes back to himself just in time to respond to Cat. "Did you- I mean- You guys were safe and everything? Everyone ok?"

Cat is suddenly silent, a strand of hair frozen around her finger. She bores coffee brown eyes into his and wears a brand of anger Beck doesn't understand. "Mhm." She whispers. It's followed by a typical ditzy smile, a loud giggle, and pretending that _that _didn't just happen.

Beck can only nod.

4.

After the breakup, he realizes he's never known someone as well as her.

He goes on a date with a girl from Northridge called Sidnie. She's cute, with blonde hair and hazel eyes and peach pink lips and millions of little freckles and long eyelashes and a laugh that sounds like wind brushing through grass.

They watch a movie and make small talk and at the end of the night when he cups her face with his hand and kisses her he thinks of tangled legs and bitten lips and hidden hickeys and fingers locking perfectly and words murmured in ears and two bodies molded for each other and his mind screams _jade jade jade _and not once does he think of Sidnie's peach pink lips.

When he gets home he sees Sidnie's left him fifteen messages. He doesn't even bother reading them before he deletes her contact from his phone.

5.

After the breakup, he finally figures out he's numb.

It happens at the beginning of the third month. When the bombs have finally stopped going off, when the dirty looks and outright avoidance and caustic remarks and bitter small talk finally end, when the dust has settled-

Jade asks if he wants to hang out.

It's a lazy Thursday, and spring break is coming up so teachers are lax with homework and projects, and the day is warm and Beck is in a good mood and she just saunters up to his locker as if nothing's changed.

(of course, things couldn't be more different)

"Hey-" He starts, but she cuts him off.

"Andre and I are going to eat at the mall. You know, cause Cat and Robbie are rehearsing for their play and Vega's in Santa Cruz—Andre told me we can't just let you eat lunch alone, so…" She scrolls through her phone and tightens her belt and does not look him in the eye. He can't tell if her nonchalance is fake or real, but has known her long enough to take an educated guess.

Beck takes it as the perfect opportunity to say yes.

They both know that he has other friends outside of their motley crew that he could go eat lunch with. But because it feels like things are finally blowing over, and he's done with the whole post-breakup charade, he says yes anyway.

It comes out casual and cool and quintessentially _Beck Oliver_.

"Cool." She looks up for a second. "We can take my car." And with that, Jade walks away.

It turns out that hanging out with Jade post-breakup isn't just not as awful as he pictured it, but it's _fun_. They've hung out together, but only ever with the whole group present. Even though Andre's there, and Beck always has a good time with Andre, there's nothing between him and Jade to potentially turn things awkward.

They do some window shopping and get Italian and Beck and Andre have a breadstick fight which Jade records and posts on TheSlap and they throw quarters into a fountain and make absurd wishes and buy bubble gum out of machines with quarters they pull out of the fountain, and not once does Beck think of Jade as anything other than a friend.

That is until Andre decides frozen yogurt is a smart idea. Jade's too lazy to walk a whole ten meters and when Beck offers to accompany him, Andre says he's got it and he leaves them alone and Beck thinks it should be fine until he turns around and-

He's sitting across from his ex-girlfriend.

There's a fast flutter, a moment where his brain short circuits and doesn't rewire, every thought stuck.

_icouldjustreachoutandgrabherhandandholdherlikeisuedtoandmaybepossiblykissherandwrapherinmyarmsandtellheristillloveherineverstoppeddidiandmaybejustaskifshestilllovesmetoo-_

The flutter, much to Beck's dismay, does not go away. It stays and turns into a violent tide that slams against jagged rocks. It stays and turns into Beck's undoing.

Andre comes back before either of them really have the chance to say anything and then they're all piling back into Jade's car with cups of frozen yogurt, and soon they're back at Hollywood Arts, and even sooner the day is over and Beck is left sitting in his car, trying to get himself to just _move. _

He thought his heart wasn't broken, but now he realizes he just didn't know the symptoms.

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**catjaderobbie are besties ok that shit's canon and it is very possible i wrote a fic where they do all get drunk**

**also, if u have any bade prompts or any victorious prompts write a comment! i love bade but i have no good ideas sigh**


End file.
